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Doctors: Organ donations up as overdose deaths spike

New England has seen more than 1,000 organ transplants in the last year, experts say - a growing number of those are coming from overdose victims

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Updated: 6:40 AM CDT Apr 15, 2017

Doctors: Organ donations up as overdose deaths spike

New England has seen more than 1,000 organ transplants in the last year, experts say - a growing number of those are coming from overdose victims

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Updated: 6:40 AM CDT Apr 15, 2017

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WEBVTT >> I'VE LIVED WITH IT, I DON'TKNOW ANYTHING DIFFERENTREPORTER: ABIGAIL MURPHY WASDIAGNOSED WITH A RARE KIDNEYDISORDER PRENATALLY.>> I WAS IN SIXTH GRADE WHEN IWAS TOLD THAT MY KIDNEY WASREALLY STARTING TO FAIL.REPORTER: A FEW YEARS LATER, ITWAS HER LIVER, AND THEN HERKIDNEY AGAIN, THIS TIME, SHE WASOFFERED WHAT'S CALLED ANINCREASED RISK ORGAN.SHE SAYS IT CAME FROM A PERSONWHO OVERDOSED ON PAINMEDICATION.>> MY BIGGEST FEAR WAS THESHARING OF NEEDLES AND THAT TYPEOF STUFF-- BUT THEY'RE TESTEDREPORTER: DOCTORS AT UVM SAY INTHE EARLY 2000'S, ABOUT 10% OFTRANSPLANTS CAME FROM OVERDOSEVICTIMS. LAST YEAR IN THE NORTH EAST, ITWAS 30%.AND THE NUMBERS CONTINUE TOTREND UP.>> THERE'S A STIGMA ASSOCIATEDWITH THEM BECAUSE THERE'S ANINCREASED RISK OF TRANSMITTINGHIV, HEPITITIS B, HEPITITIS C.REPORTER: ONCE THAT'S RULED OUTTHOUGH, DR. CARLOS MARROQUINSAYS VIRTUALLY ALL OF A USER'SORGANS ARE FAIR GAME.DESPITE THE STIGMA OFTENATTACHED TO THE ORGANS, HE SAYSOFTEN AN EASY DECISION.>> THESE TEND TO BE VIABLEORGANS THAT CAN POTENTIALLY BE ALIFE SAVING RESOURCE.REPORTER: MARROQUIN SAYS THEYALWAYS TELL A PATIENT AN ORGANIS CONSIDERED INCREASED RISK,BUT THEY DON'T USUALLY TELLPATIENTS WHY.AND AS ALWAYS, THE ORGANS AREHEAVILY TESTED AND DEEMED SAFE>> YOU SHOULD ALWAYS PRACTICE ASSAFELY AS YOU CAN KNOWING THATTHERE'S ALWAYS RISK AND IN THISCASE THERE ARE SPECIFICCATEGORIES AND WE JUST HAVE TOINFORM THE PATIENTS THAT THESECATEGORIES EXIST AND THIS RISKIS REALREPORTER: NOW MARRIED WITH ACAREER, IT'S A RISK MURPHY SAYSSHE'D TAKE AGAIN.IN RUTLAND RACHEL KARCZ NBC5

Doctors: Organ donations up as overdose deaths spike

New England has seen more than 1,000 organ transplants in the last year, experts say - a growing number of those are coming from overdose victims

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Updated: 6:40 AM CDT Apr 15, 2017

RUTLAND, Vt. —

New England has seen more than 1,000 organ transplants in the last year, experts say. A growing number of those are coming from overdose victims.

Abigail Murphy was diagnosed with a rare kidney disorder prenatally.

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“I was in sixth grade when I was told that my kidney was really starting to fail,” Murphy said.

A few years later, it was her liver and then her kidney again. This time, she was offered what's called an increased risk organ. She said it came from a person who overdosed on pain medication.

“My biggest fear was the sharing of needles and that type of stuff, but they're tested,” Murphy said.

Doctors at the University of Vermont Medical Center said in the early 2000s, about 10 percent of transplants came from overdose victims.

Last year in the Northeast, it was 30 percent.

“There's a stigma associated with them because there's an increased risk of transmitting HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C,” said Dr. Carlos Marroquin, of UVM Medical Center.

Once that's ruled out, Dr. Marroquin said, virtually all of a drug user's organs are fair game. Despite the stigma often attached to the organs, he said in such dire circumstances, it's often an easy decision.

“These tend to be viable organs that can potentially be a lifesaving resource,” Marroquin said.

He said they always tell a patient an organ is considered increased risk but they don't usually tell patients why.

“You should always practice as safely as you can, knowing that there's always risk and in this case, there are specific categories and we just have to inform the patients that these categories exist and this risk is real,” Marroquin said.